Gate Capital News Letter | Issue 737

Investment conglomerate Dubai Holding has divested its entire 24% stake in Emirates Central Cooling Systems Corporation (Empower) to the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) for AED 5.184 billion ($1.411 billion).

The transaction has increased DEWA’s shareholding in the district cooling provider from 56% to 80%.

Dubai Holding’s exit from Empower enables DEWA to gain absolute control over the world’s largest district cooling platform, thereby consolidating Empower’s services under the utility giant’s leadership.

Mubadala Capital, a unit of Abu Dhabi’s sovereign wealth fund, and US asset manager TWG Global have signed a definitive agreement to acquire US billboard operator Clear Channel Outdoor for an enterprise value of $6.2 billion.

The investor group will acquire Clear Channel’s outstanding common stock, which trades on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), for $2.43 per share in cash.

The offer represents a 71% premium to the unaffected share price of $1.42 on October 16, 2025, the last trading day before media reports of a potential transaction.

Red Sea International Co.’s subsidiary Red Sea for Building Materials and Equipment Trading Co., completed the sale as well as the transfer of its shareholding in Premier Paint Co., upon receiving the required approvals from the relevant authorities. Share ownership in Premier Paint was transferred to Saudi Industrial Paint Co. Ltd. (SIPCO).

The MENA region recorded a robust 26% rise in merger and acquisition (M&A) activity with 884 deals. This indicates a 15% increase on the previous year’s $92.3 billion deals, it said. The GCC region accounted for the majority of deals at 685, valued at $102.1 billion.

InvestSky, MENA’s first social trading platform, announced its official expansion into the Saudi market following the approval of its Financial Technology Experimental Permit from the Capital Market Authority (CMA). The move comes as part of InvestSky’s regional growth strategy and is supported by a first-of-its-kind partnership with anb Capital, one of the Kingdom’s leading investment firms.

Simplified Financial Solutions Company has announced a $20 million Series A funding round led by Ra’ed Ventures, with participation from a diverse group of global and regional investors. The round includes global investors QED Investors, a leading fintech investor, and existing backer Breyer Capital, alongside regional firm MEVP and existing local backers including Sanabil Investments, Khawarizmi Ventures, SEEDRA Ventures, Rua Growth Fund, anb capital and Tech Invest Com.

The UAE and Switzerland have reached an agreement for the establishment of a Joint Economic Committee (JEC) to strengthen bilateral economic co-operation, promote investment and boost trade flows.

Dubai-based healthcare group Aster DM Healthcare has unveiled a 1 billion UAE dirhams ($367 million) expansion programme in the UAE, including two new hospitals and the expansion of an existing facility.

Saudi-based Jazr.io (جزر), a platform providing accounting and inventory management solutions for restaurants and cafés, has closed SAR 800,000 ($213,000) pre-seed funding round, backed by a group of angel investors.

Smart Bricks, a Dubai based company and a frontier AI lab building agentic AI infrastructure for real-estate investing, today announced a $5 million pre-seed round led by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z Speedrun), with participation from leading funds and angels across the US, Europe, and the Middle East

Safqah Capital, a Saudi Arabia-based fintech/proptech platform, has raised $15.2 million in a seed round, led by Shorooq, with participation from anb Seed Fund and Rua Growth Fund, alongside Sharaka Capital, COTU Ventures, Sadu Capital, 500 Global, Suhail Ventures, MEVP, Waad Invest, JOA Capital, and others.

Sustained Infrastructure Holding Co. (SISCO Holding) said its portfolio company, Green Dome Investments (GDI), completed, on Nov. 5, 2025, the acquisition of a 100% stake in Transcorp International for AED 225 million (SAR 229.75 million).

omnispay, a UAE-based fintech focused on SME payments, has closed a $2 million Pre-Series A funding round, led by Infinity Value Capital Group.

The funding will support omnispay’s transition from a rapid-settlement payments provider into a broader SME finance platform, expanding its offering to include cash-flow management and embedded credit through integrated collect, pay, and borrow workflows.

Dividend Gate Capital (DGC) and Bahrain Family Leisure Company (BFLC) have signed a definitive agreement for BFLC’s share-swap acquisition of Truffle Hospitality Holding, the food and beverage subsidiary of DGC.

Saudi Arabia has captured the vast majority of Partners for Growth’s capital deployed in the Gulf Cooperation Council, as the global private credit fund leans into what it sees as the region’s largest market for growth-stage technology financing.

Saudi-based logistics startup Routech Express has closed a SAR 3.75 million ($1 million) pre-seed funding round, led by Q Fund, with participation from a group of angel investors.

Egyptian asset manager engazaat plans to invest more than $100m over the next two years to support its regional expansion in climate infrastructure, the company announced on Sunday.

Saudi Arabia’s Ghida Alsultan for Fast Food Co, a restaurant operator, has finalised a deal to acquire local burger chain Simple Burger Establishment for SAR 23.8 million ($ 6.3 million).